Volume One, Chapter 115: Receiving the Family’s Discipline

Is it true that people only learn to cherish what they have once they have lost it?

Huo Mingting and Ye Sheng were married for three years, and divorced for another three. Six years had passed in the blink of an eye. The way Ye Sheng used to love him remained vivid in Huo Mingting's mind, yet he could not for the life of him recall how he had once treated her. This made him feel that he was unworthy of the love she had once held for him.

However, people are always lenient with themselves. Even though Huo Mingting knew he had wronged Ye Sheng, now that she had returned, he had no intention of letting her go just like that. Rather than making amends for the past, Huo Mingting wanted to start over with her—because only now, for the first time, had he truly fallen for her.

Tan Yao watched the flickering expressions on Huo Mingting's face, sensing the inner turmoil he was enduring, and decided to say no more. Matters of the heart are like drinking water—only the one who drinks knows whether it is cold or warm; outsiders are merely spectators to the spectacle.

"There is something, though I am not sure if I should tell you."

Tan Yao hesitated. Huo Mingting raised an eyebrow. "Is it about Ye Sheng again?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead."

Tan Yao said, "Before I came here today, I stopped by my house. Chairman Qin was there, and I heard him mention two people: one is Wan Sandao, the boss of Dingsheng Group, and the other is the daughter of the Ye family from Shangzhou."

Huo Mingting’s eyes sharpened. Tan Yao finished the sentence: "...Ye Sheng."

"Ye Sheng went to the Qin family?" Huo Mingting frowned. "What did she go there for?"

Tan Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So, you already knew about Ye Sheng’s family background?"

Huo Mingting remained silent. It was Chu Yue who had helped him investigate this. Although Chu Yue often seemed unreliable, he was a criminal investigator by trade and kept his mouth shut tight; he hadn't even disclosed it to Tan Yao. Of course, even though Tan Yao now knew Ye Sheng’s true identity, he wouldn't speak of it lightly without Huo Mingting's permission. That was the basis of their mutual trust: everyone knew what should and should not be said, and no one crossed the line.

"You wouldn't have... is that why you are pursuing her, because you know she is the daughter of the Shangzhou Ye family?" Tan Yao asked tentatively.

Huo Mingting frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Status, family, and lineage—these things indeed carry a certain aura. Even if Huo Mingting was unwilling to admit it, he had to concede that Ye Sheng’s current status and background made him look at her with a new level of regard.

Tan Yao shrugged. "It’s understandable. I was shocked when I found out, too. That is the Ye family of Shangzhou, after all."

Among the elite, there is a distinction between the nouveau riche and the aristocracy, between the old money and the new. The Ye family of Shangzhou belonged to the old aristocracy. In the history of China’s century-old clans, the Ye family was always prominent. Their family motto, "In poverty, cultivate one's own virtue; in success, improve the world," had produced countless distinguished descendants. As a medical dynasty, they had benefited generations. Academician Ye was a household name, but what truly stirred the heart were the stories of his son and daughter-in-law. When General Ye and Dr. Nan sacrificed their lives on the front lines, their son and daughter were still young. Later, after Academician Ye passed away from illness and his funeral concluded, the two children vanished without a trace; some said they had been taken abroad by relatives.

Just as many lamented that the Ye family was fading and their medical legacy had no heir, the founding of Huatai Pharmaceuticals made everyone hear the name "Ye family of Shangzhou" once again.

Ye Zhun.

He was a figure who could now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with "Huo Lindong" in the pharmaceutical industry. Yet, unlike the universal acclaim given to Huo Lindong, the public’s evaluation of Ye Zhun was mixed—some called him too much of a businessman, others viewed him as a philanthropist. Few people knew that the daughter of the Ye family was also in the medical industry. Her name was Ye Sheng.

***

After Tan Yao left, Huo Mingting unlocked his phone and scanned the string of text messages Qin Minshu had sent him. His brows furrowed deeper with every message.

He placed a call, and Qin Minshu answered instantly. As soon as the connection was made, she let out a trembling "Mingting" and began to wail.

Huo Mingting had no patience for her tears. He said coldly, "Stop crying. Ye Sheng went to the Qin family? Why did she go?"

Qin Minshu accused Ye Sheng of abusing her power, looking for trouble, and complaining to her parents. She claimed Ye Sheng had not only forced her to kneel in public but had also caused her to be punished by the family elders.

Huo Mingting arched a brow. Was she really that vengeful? But why would Ye Sheng bring Wan Sandao along specifically to provoke them?

He couldn't get a straight answer out of Qin Minshu, so he grew weary of her sobbing. When she whimpered about her pain, he replied indifferently, "You deserved it," and hung up the phone.

After ending the call, Huo Mingting gripped his phone, thought for a moment, and dialed Ye Sheng.

After two rings, she hung up on him.

Huo Mingting: "..."

What was this? Was it a case of every force having its master?